


Until Death

by Watchtower (atbucud)



Series: Superhero Soulmate AU [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Gen, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Reader-Insert, Tumblr: watchtower-feed, Watchtower: Superhero Soulmate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:42:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25912291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atbucud/pseuds/Watchtower
Summary: When you live in a world full of superheroes, there are worst things than metahuman villains, invading aliens, and psychotic clowns. One of them is having a soulmate.Some say it’s better because your other half is easier to find, but they’re not the one who has a hero or a villain for a soulmate. You do.Although you didn’t know it at the time, because all you got was a simple timer on your arm and you thought he would just be a civilian like you, but your soulmate is a vigilante that has something worst than super-healing.
Relationships: Jason Todd/Reader, Jason Todd/You
Series: Superhero Soulmate AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1328027
Comments: 19
Kudos: 146





	1. Chapter 1

Every day you’d watch the faint red glow of your arm and wonder what he looks like or how you’ll meet. You fantasized about bumping into each other in the street, or lining up behind him at a coffee shop, or being introduced to you by his friends, and all of a sudden both your arms will just give off that simultaneous triple beep. The last sound your timer will ever make before it turns into a faint scar on your arm.

“What do you think he’s like?” you asked your friend.

“Doesn’t matter,” she smirked, “He’s your soulmate. He’s going to be perfect.”

You smile at that and stared longingly at your arm. You brushed your thumb across the translucent numbers, “What if he doesn’t approve of the links?”

Your friend bit her lip, “I don’t know, Y/N. There was an increase in people going to the Fate Sisters for an ‘alteration´ but so far it’s illegal and more and more people are happy with their links.” She looked at you thoughtfully and whispered, “What do you think you’ll do if he doesn’t?”

You stared at the numbers one last time before rolling down your sleeves, “It’s too late for me. I’ve already fallen in love even if it is just with the idea of him. But if he doesn’t want me—“ You held your arm protectively and bit the inside of your cheek. Your friend furrowed her eyebrows and waited for you to continue. You sighed and smiled, “He and I can still be friends, right?”

You never stopped thinking about that conversation. You would always wonder what he’s like and if he approved of the links. You’ve picked up the habit of rubbing your arm where the numbers glowed whenever you think of him.

You could see the red light through most of your clothes and as much as it always caught your attention, you always felt comforted by its warm glow. It was the last thing you’d see before you go to sleep and the first thing you looked at when you wake up.

But you didn’t know what to do when one day your timer just suddenly stopped.

01:10:8:12:27:05

All you felt then was emptiness. You were in a cold dark place with no red glowing lights, no numbers counting down from years to seconds, and no more promise that your soulmate is out there.

“He’s dead…”

You locked yourself inside your room for days. You didn’t leave your bed for hours on end and every day felt like it was getting harder to breathe. It took everything out of you to take that first step out of your house and the moment you did, tears spilled down your cheeks.

It was a hard thing to do, to try to live your life knowing you’ll never get to meet your soulmate, the man given to you by fate. For the first few weeks, you never knew if you could keep going, or if it’s worth it.

But you did. You finally took that long breath and continued with your life. The faint sign on your arm will serve as a reminder that you loved someone unconditionally without ever having met them. It’s proof that you’re capable of feeling for someone so deeply that not even science or logic could explain why.

You gently rub the scar-like numbers on your arm.

01:10:8:12:27:05

Your thumb lightly tracing every number.

01:10:8:12:27:05

Your skin tingles from your light touch, until suddenly—

01:10:8:12:27:04

The numbers—

01:10:8:12:27:03

Were glowing—

01:10:8:12:27:02

And counting down again.

You rub all your fingers against them and feel your breath hitch, “That’s impossible… he’s alive.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You almost died

“That’s impossible.. he’s alive.”

“This way!” Their loud shouts echo inside the abandoned building.

Your shoes hit the stairs loudly and their steps aren’t that far behind. You shouldn’t have gone looking for your soulmate.

You look at your arm and stare at the red glowing numbers.

00:00:00:00:04:27

Ever since your timer started beeping again you couldn’t sit still. You had to find him. You had to make sure you’re soulmate is live.

You started by going through all the recorded deaths that happened on April 27 three years ago. There were so many. So many names of people who stopped breathing before another sunrise. So many corpses that had to be lowered to the ground. So many tears of loved ones saying goodbye.

You wiped your own tears away and hoped your soulmate had someone with him when he died. You hoped that he wasn’t alone during his last moments. That someone had at least made him feel safe and happy before he died.

The tightening in your chest was returning and you couldn’t read through anymore. You decided to minimize the list by sorting through the local death certificates. That was when a single name stuck out.

“Jason Peter Todd.” 

You didn’t know what made you do it but saying his name out loud made the glowing numbers on your wrist feel hot. It was a good enough lead.

And a dangerous one that resulted in your current predicament: running away from a group of drug lord goons.

As your feet feel heavy after every stride up the stairs, you mentally slap yourself and regret ever finding that name. All his history from before he was adopted has led you to one crime lord after another.

Every time you entered a dark alley, infiltrated a hideout, or entered an infamous bar, you kept glancing at your timer to make sure. As it continued to count down, you wondered if your soulmate was a criminal and suddenly the idea that he could’ve been murdered scared you more than your own death.

“They’re headed for the roof!”

You bite your lip as the cold Gotham air hits your face. You immediately run to the edge of the building to look for a fire escape. There are none.

“Shit.”

As soon as you turn around, the five men chasing you block the only path off of the roof.

“Nowhere to run! We’ve got you now.”

You back against the edge of the ledge and bring up your arm.

00:00:00:00:01:48

You have no choice. You have to trust the numbers on your arm. That your soulmate will save you. That he’ll appear at any moment and those three beeps will fade the glowing numbers into a scar.

One of the goons stalks towards you with a club but he suddenly gets pulled to the ground by a dark metallic chord.

All of you turn to the side as he gets pulled down to the edge of the roof. From the ledge, Batman rises from the alley and lands in between you and them.

Your eyes widen and you quickly turn to your arm.

00:00:00:00:01:08

He’s not your soulmate. You turn back to the man in black as he takes down the five goons. It’s hypnotizing to watch. He makes every punch count as it cracked their jaws. His dodges are flawless and quick with a sense of rhythm in every step. He looks like he’s reading their movements before they even make it.

You’re too mesmerized in watching Batman work that you didn’t notice the gun that was thrown in desperation. One of the goons threw it at Batman but missed and it’s headed straight towards you.

You move in time, only for the gun to miss your temple by the slightest distance, but in your panic, you lose your footing and your back leans against the open air. Your hands stretch out to anyone on the roof but your voice fails you, and no one notices. You fall down the side of the building.

With the cold rush of rapid air, you turn around to watch the pavement meet you. But you’re surprised to see a pair of white eyes and a red helmet greet you instead.

And a pair of three simultaneous beeps.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason Todd meets his soulmate

And three pairs of simultaneous beeps.

Jason takes in two whiffs from his cigarette as he stares at the roof of an abandoned building. The building is quiet and the windows are blocked with planks of wood. There’s no light seeping out from the inside.

And it’s the building Batman’s been scaling for the past hour.

Jason thought Gotham would be quiet tonight. No massive threat from the rogue gallery. Not even a breakout from the asylum. No crime lord seemed to be in action and the petty thieves were just that: petty. But he was surprised to find Batman busy and investigating an abandoned building.

If Jason was right then the tenants of the building are just druggies with no place to go, definitely too small to even be on the Bat’s radar, making his stakeout on Batman more than necessary.

Besides, it’s a good way to spend a vigilante’s time when he’s actively avoiding his fate.

00:00:00:00:04:27

The red numbers seem to be glowing brighter tonight and it’s making Jason more irritated.

Ever since his conversation with Barry and Roy about their soulmates, he’s decided to defy the links until his last breath. He’s going to make sure the timer on his arm counts down to nothing without him meeting his soulmate.

He never asked to be matched up with anyone. He didn’t like three old ladies dictating who he’s supposed to fall in love with. He also didn’t like the idea that someone is forced to love him.

He glares at the glowing numbers and remembers the moment he surfaced from the Lazarus pit. The numbers on his arm were exactly the same as they were before the bomb blew up in that warehouse. He briefly recollects his last thoughts before his death and his feelings of sympathy for his soulmate.

As soon as he saw the timer on his arm, he knew the timer on his soulmate must’ve stopped for a year. A whole year.

And then almost another two more years to wait before they were fated to meet on this cursed day.

Jason finishes his cigarette and puts out its light against the window sill. He lets his mind drift to his soulmate and how you must’ve felt when your timer just stopped.

He wonders if you cried or if you were happy that you were no longer bound to him. He ponders over the things that could’ve gone through your head when you realized he was dead. He suddenly frowns at the idea that maybe you’re sitting at some restaurant waiting for him to meet you.

Before he could check how much time you had left to wait, his eyes catch movement coming from the rooftop. He watches five goons trap you on the roof. He leans back against the window sill and smiles as he waits for Batman to show up.

"Wouldn’t be much of a night without getting to see you work,“ he smirks.

Jason takes out another cigarette as Batman beats up the thugs. He taps a cigarette out of the packet but accidentally drops it down the window.

He’s glaring at Batman, "What’s wrong with him? Why is he sloppy?”

Jason waits for Batman to notice you on that roof. He immediately grabs his helmet when he realizes Batman isn’t going to any time soon.

"Damn it!“

Jason quickly dons on his helmet and hurls himself out of the window. He lands on the next building over and fires his grappling gun as he watches a gun hurl towards you.

He grits his teeth at your loose footing and flies off just in time to catch you after passing two stories. In a split second, you’re in his arms and staring at him with extremely wide eyes and quivering lips.

But your lips quickly still and your eyes shift the moment you hear the three beeps from both your arms.

Startled, Jason loses his grip on the grappling gun and gives both of you a rough landing against the sidewalk. He takes most of the impact by turning around and landing first. But the two of you still end up sprawled on the ground.

“Shit,” he grits through his teeth as he lands on his ass.

You fall forward but quickly prop yourself up on your arms to watch him. He looks back at you. He stares at your bare arm with the numbers that are now scars. But you’re not staring at his arm. You’re staring at his mask and it makes him suddenly self-conscious.

“.. you died,” you whisper.

Jason doesn’t know what to do. You’re staring at him with wide eyes and on your knees, only centimeters away from him. He’s been working so hard avoiding you and convincing himself that neither of you wanted to meet, but now you’re gaping at him, and he doesn’t know what to say.

But he doesn’t have to because you suddenly hug him. He found it so unexpected that his hands dumbly lay by his side while you tighten your hold on him and rest your chin on his shoulder.

Suddenly he feels you trembling.

“You’re alive..” and your voice is shaking, “You’re okay,” and your hands are desperately gripping his jacket, “Oh my god, you’re safe.” Jason’s whole body tenses after every word.

And then you whisper, “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Jason.”

And he grips you so hard against his chest with his face resting on your shoulder as he cries.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You walk away from the Red Hood

And he grips you so hard against his chest with his face resting on your shoulder as he cries.

You’re crying as well. You’re biting your lip as every sob seeps into his jacket. You hold him tighter as he starts shaking. He’s gripping you so tight you almost can’t breathe.

You didn’t expect him to hug you back, or cry for that matter, but when he did, you felt like crying even more. Your murmured apologies didn’t stop and he listened to every word. He shook and trembled at your every whisper until you stopped.

When his arms start loosening, you reluctantly pull away. His fingers are pressed against his helmet that’s letting out a hiss as it releases. He takes off his helmet and now that you’re looking at him, you’re a little miffed that he doesn’t look as gross as you do. You harshly wipe your nose and rub away your leftover tears as he, very attractively, glares at you.

You never even wondered if your soulmate would be handsome. It just isn’t one of those things you considered. But looking at him right now, his black hair with the white streak sticking to his forehead and his intimidating gaze piercing through his domino mask, you find yourself out of breath.

“You’re safe now. Go.”

You scoff. You can’t believe what you just heard. After everything you did, everything you’ve gone through—, “Seriously?”

He stands up, leaving you alone on the concrete. He starts walking away and you quickly go after him, “Just like that?” He doesn’t turn around or reply to you. He just keeps walking. You raise your voice louder, “You’re just gonna walk away?”

He stops walking and turns to you, you flinch, “I didn’t want to meet you in the first place!”

You suddenly feel your blood boil. “Excuse me?” you scowl.

“I don’t believe in this mythological babble that you’re destined to meet someone that’s supposed to make you feel whole again!” He turns around completely and walks up to you until you’re looking up at him, “Whatever your name is, that I don’t even want to know, you shouldn’t let some stupid number—“ he grabs your wrist with steel-like grip, “on your stupid arm decide your future for you!”

You take back your arm and slap him harder than you ever knew you could. Your palm stings, “It didn’t!” You glare at him until he returns his gaze back to you, “Every decision I’ve ever made since the timer stopped has been from my own judgment! You don’t know what I’ve been through for the past three years!” You’re so angry and frustrated just remembering your past that you loudly scoff, “When I realized I lost my soulmate, that I lost you, I knew that I didn’t just love you because something told me to.”

It was subtle but when he heard the word love he flinched. Jason narrows his eyes at you and you don’t back down.

“When you died I felt like I died as well!”

“That’s a bullshit thing to say,” he growls, “You don’t know what dying feels like.”

“Did it feel like insurmountable pain that you couldn’t stop—“

“That’s not the same!” he gritted every word through his teeth.

You suddenly soften your gaze as you closely stare at him. His eyebrows are harshly creased and his pupils are furiously shifting as he continues to glare at you. You look down and see his fists clench.

All of a sudden you become conscious of the fact that it wasn’t easy for Jason. He died that day.

He was beaten. Bruised. Betrayed. His own mother sold him out and she let that clown beat him like a sack. You could never understand that.

You would never feel the pain he felt as his body hit that cold hard floor every time that crowbar hit him. You’d never feel what it was like to regret one measly decision, one mistake that ended everything that was good in his life. Bless your soul, Jason hopes you’ll never feel that.

And that you’ll never know.

You frown at the sidewalk as you come to terms with the fact that Jason didn’t want you to know what happened to him, even though you wanted to. You inwardly make the decision to leave. But you can’t just let this end without letting him know.

“You died before I even got to meet you,” you whisper. “Your friends and family got to spend time with you and made you smile. I didn’t even get the chance to hold your hand before I lost—“ you watch his hands unclench and you resist the urge to hold them. “You died before I could even know what color your eyes are..“ You quickly look up and give him the smallest smile you could muster, “I didn’t even get to tell you that I’m happy to just be friends with you.”

His eyes slowly soften and you bite your lip. You clench your own fists and desperately steal your gaze away before you start crying again. Your scarred arm catches your attention and you laugh as you bring it up to show him, “Thanks for saving my life, Red Hood.”

Jason frowns as the sound of his alias escapes your lips but you don’t see it. You turn around and swallow a sob before you walked away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason finds you

Jason frowns at the sound of his alias escaping your lips but don’t see it. You turn around and swallow a sob before you walked away.

“Damn, Jason! How heartless!” Roy has been giving Jason a hard time for the past half hour in Roy’s apartment since Jason told him what happened between the two of you. “The girl goes out of her way to search for you, gets chased by bad guys, falls off a roof, and then you just tell her you never wanted to meet her?”

“What?” Jason snaps back, “Should I have lied? Tell her I’ve been dreaming about the day when we’d meet?”

Roy rolls his eyes to the side, a small smirk playing on his lips, “Weeell…” Jason stares at him as he waits. “Before you, you know,” Roy makes a gesture of cutting his throat with his thumb, making Jason glare at him, “you did brag a lot about the day you’d meet your soulmate you know. When you were still a Titan–”

Jason physically shuts Roy up by covering his mouth with both of his hands. He glares at him with wide eyes and raised brows but Roy can see the blush covering his cheeks, “That was years ago.”

Roy removes his friend’s hands from his face, “That was three years ago and that was you. At least one type of Jason.”

Jason turns away from him, “I’m different now.”

Roy doesn’t believe him one bit. Three years is a good time to change a person but not enough to completely forget who they were. “And you’re scared she won’t like you?” Roy stares at Jason who stubbornly makes a show of lying down on the floor and staring at the ceiling instead of him. “How are you going to know if you never try~” Roy lets his sing-song voice echo in the room but Jason doesn’t budge.

Then Roy stops abruptly and Jason watches him close his eyes. He waits for a while before Roy opens his eyes again.

“Your soulmate?” Jason asks.

“Yeah, she’s done with class. Sorry, bro, duty calls.” Roy kicks himself off his bed and packs his last-minute-superhero-bag-disguised-as-an-ordinary-gym-bag. “She took military science this semester and I’m helping her write a paper on reconnaissance.”

Jason frowns, “Don’t tell me. You’re letting her experience it first hand?”

Roy chuckles, “You’re skeptical. I see that but once you meet her. Oh, boy. You’re going to wish you have her for backup.”

Jason watches as one of his closest friends hum while he packs away more gadgets for his trip. “How do you do it, Roy? Having somebody else’s thoughts in your head?”

Roy pauses at the sudden seriousness of Jason’s voice, more serious than usual. “It’s not all bad. You know when you’re thinking to yourself, trying to find answers to life’s dilemmas?” he asks and waits for Jason to respond but he doesn’t so Roy scoffs. “And then suddenly someone actually answers you. It’s like God answering your prayers or something. It feels good talking to somebody.”

“Sounds just like having comms on a mission.”

“Exactly. And life’s a mission, Jay.” Roy teases as he opens his door and steps out. He leans in gives Jason a goodbye kiss in the air. “And you better get on with yours.”

Roy shuts the door to his own apartment and leaves Jason lying on his floor feeling miserable and antsy.

Later that same evening, it doesn’t take long for Jason to track you down. No, not all because much to his displeasure, you are still looking for answers regarding his death. Now that you know he’s the Red Hood, it has lead you to even deeper shit than you can imagine.

“Lookie here, boss. One just came straight to our lap.” One of Black Mask’s goons drops you on the floor like a garbage bag and you land on your wrists tied behind your back.

You bite against the cloth wrapped along your jaw and you glare hard at the crime lord standing tall and menacing in his diamond-clad black suit. He squats down and stares at you with his face only a few inches away. You can smell the tobacco and scotch in his breath mixed with the stench of the black paint of his mask.

“Gutsy,” he turns back to one of his goons, “Definitely has enough spunk to be a soulmate of one of those do-gooders.” Black Mask looks you over from head to toe making you tense under his gaze. “What does she have?”

One of his men steps up and harshly grabs your wrists to show his boss the faded timer on your hand.

He frowns, “Timer link, huh. Luthor would have paid big money for you if your timer hadn’t run out.” He turns his eyes away from your wrist and looks back at you in the eye, “Seems you’ve met your soulmate then.”

“She was walking around asking people about the Red Hood.”

Black Mask’s eyes widen and fill in the sockets of his mask. He stands up quickly and smacks the man who spoke. “You idiots!” he bellows at them. “Get her out of here!”

The man holding you quickly let you go and backs away. You quickly stare in shock as you and the rest of the men in the warehouse watch the Black Mask trudge along the ends of the table spouting rushed instructions to his men. “Do you all want to die tonight?”

Then one loud bang of metal hitting the cement floor steals everyone’s attention. You turn your head away from the Black Mask and find the Red Hood with his knees bent, head down, and an AK-47 in his hands.

“Yes,” he says as he straightens his posture and rests the assault rifle on his shoulder, “It does seem like you want to die tonight.”

The men are inching away from the Red Hood and Black Masks grits his teeth as he tries to keep still against the table. “Here for your girl, Red?” Black Masks snarls at him. “It doesn’t look like you’re here to save anyone with that gun you’re carrying.”

You stare at Jason. Black Mask has a point. The rifle isn’t the best gun for a rescue mission so he must be here more for an assault. Less for you. Or not at all.

The Red Hood laughs with his chest, making the Black Mask flinch. “Oh,” he says as he straightens up and leans forward, “I’m just the appetizer.”

You feel the vibration of the whole warehouse before you heard the crash of the ceiling on the other side of the warehouse. You cower until all of the debris has fallen and then you quickly take a look and find Superman floating down from the gaping hole. Much faster, you see a familiar broad-shouldered silhouette glide in and land right onto Black Mask’s face.

You’re too busy watching the Justice League round up Black Mask and his men that you instantly flinch at the feel of someone touching your wrist. It’s the Red Hood. He raises his hands, “Are you hurt?”

You stare for a moment before you look down, “I– I think one of my wrists is broken.” You hear him click his tongue and hear a switchblade slice through the ropes around your arm. Gently, he helps you take them off. You rub your wrists and confirm that one of them is definitely broken.

“Does she need medical attention?” the sudden presence of Wonder Woman startles you.

“Not critical, but her wrist is broken.”

“I-I’m fine,” you utter in sudden embarrassment. It’s not a feeling you’re used to, being fussed over. Especially by a whole league of heroes.

Batman approaches the three of you and he immediately kneels in front of you. He holds out his hand and tentatively you offer up your broken wrist. He takes out a makeshift wood splinter and lays it under your palm.

“I can do it,” both you and Batman quickly turn to the Red Hood. He’s already squatting down and holding out his hand. Batman hands you over and gives him a roll of medical tape. You watch as the Red Hood slowly aligns the wood along your forearm. He takes one end of the tape and presses your fingers down on it with his palm.

“I saw the look you gave me back there,” his voice suddenly jolts you and he has to align the wood again before he can start wrapping. When he spoke again, he sounded like he was pouting, “You didn’t actually think I would put you in harm’s way, right? That rifle was just in case I had to break my way through some of his guys but mostly it was just for show.”

You stare up at his mask and wonder what face he’s making underneath. You look back down and watch in awe at how gentle he’s treating your arm. “I’m sorry,” you blurt out, making Jason stop.

After a moment he starts again, “What the hell do you have to be sorry for?”

You try to fake a laugh, “For putting myself in danger and then having to have you and the League get involved.”

“First of all, are you dense?” He uses his head to point towards the League escorting Black Mask and his men out of the warehouse and towards the incoming police lights. “This is exactly what heroes are supposed to do. I was looking for you and Batman told me Black Masks’ men had you. So he and the rest of the League got involved.”

You suddenly go quiet and sharply turn back to the Red Hood, making him flinch. You wanted to ask why he was looking for you but you’re thinking too much and all you got out was one word. “Why?”

The Red Hood sighs, bored as if he’s just de-briefing on a mission, “Someone’s been targeting superhero soulmates, kidnapping them, and then having their links stolen or broken. It’s what happened to Superman and his soulmate.”

Your fingers tense as he finishes up wrapping up your wrists. Would he want that? You wonder if Jason would have been happy if they had been successful. Your voice comes out as a whisper, “You said you never wanted to meet me. Do you wish they could have taken away our links before we met?”

You can tell he’s watching you under his mask.

“I doubt they could have. Not even death kept us apart.”

Quickly, he stands up and offers a hand, “Can you stand?”

You were completely phased by the sudden change of topic and his non-answer. You resorted to stubbornly staring at him and remaining rooted on the warehouse floor. The Red Hood groans under his mask and then squats back down, with his back facing you.

“I’ll take you home and then I’ll give you my answer, deal?”

Again that surprises you. He pretty much answered you, right? If he didn’t want to meet you he would have just said no right away like he did weeks ago. Slowly you climb onto his back. As soon as you secure your arms around his neck and his arms wrap around your thighs to hold you up, he says, “I’ve wanted to meet you for as long as I can remember, Y/N.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's a wrap for Jason's part, let me know your thoughts about this and if you want more about Jason.


End file.
